Renovation inspiration: How to avoid delays and mistakes

We visit Barnahown in Co Cork whose owner Ciara O'Brien shares the secret to how she revamped this 1880s farmhouse

Ciara O'Brien at home in Barnahown, Mitchlestown, Co Cork. PIcture: David Creedon

After delays and sleepless nights, you’ve secured planning permission, and your loan is approved to build or renovate, but how do you, as a novice, never having measured up for tiles before, let alone read technical drawings, make the best use of your money on what can be a white-knuckle ride crashing into the dead end of a depleted budget?

Ciara O'Brien: 'Stop looking at Instagram and Pinterest once you decide your vision for the house.' Picture: David Creedon